The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-08-30
THE ANCIENT ORDER OF FoREsTERs.
ASTORIA, Or, Aug. 90, 1887.

ASTORIA, Or, Aug. 90, 1887.
EDITOR Historian:
In reading a paragraph in the edit.
orial columns of Sundays Historian
that the high court of that august
body, the Ancient Order of Foresters,
has resolved that it will submit to no
dictation from the British body, even
il we sunder ourselves from such su-
preme court, as our fathers did from
the all-claiming England. And
whereas this resolution has attracted
the attention of the associated press,
and that most of your readers un-
doubtedly know very little about this
body, or upon what point nor the
cause of such action, will undertake
to impart little more information
on this subject.
This resolution on the part of the
subsidiary high court of the United
States was not a hasty one; for, while
attending as a delegate from Califor-
MIA to the tenth subsidiary high
court meeting, held in Philadelphia
four years ago, august, 1882 the
question upon which all this action
hangs was discussed between ses-
sions by the delegates from all parts
Of the United States, as it was al
ready a burning question be-
tween the high court in England and
S. H.C. OF the United States (al-
though it was not then before that
session for action).
The Ancient Order of Foresters is
the outcome of the institution which
was founded at Knaresborough Gas.
tie in England on the 29th day of Oc-
tober, 1745, under the title of Royal
Foresters," by which name it contin-
ued until, at a grand convention Of
delegates held in Rochdale in August,
1884, when it was changed, and it is
now known as the Ancient Order OF
Foresters, and has a membership 60
ing well on toward 100000 able
bodied men above the age OF Is years,
and with q reserve fund of S20,OOO,-
900. To become a member one has
to be between the ages of Is and 40
years, and no person can become a
member of the order who is either
deaf or dumb, partially paralyzed, of
unsound constition, in i'll health, or
minus a foot or hand, or sight of an
eve, ETC., ETC., (as it is strictly bene-
fetal organization).
The s. III. @. of the U. s. which was
organized less than 20 years ago, in
serted in its general laws upon the
admission of membership the word
white" respectable white person.
and it is around that point which all
this action revolves. To be more ex-
plicit, prior to the organization of the
S. II. G. of the T-2., the III. c. in En-
gland granted a charter, and there
was q subordinate court organized In
the southern states consisting Of ne
groes, and upon their application to
the s. III. G. of the q. S., after its or
ganization, they were refused admis-
sion to become q part or parcel OF
such body, or come under the juris-
diction of the s. III. G. of the U. s.,
when upon their appeal to the H. G.
in England, that.body finally ordered
the s. III. G. of the y. s. to admit
such courts; hence the final resolu-
ton of that august body, the s. IL.
@. of the q. s. lately in session.
Although ]. have been out of the
order since coming to Astoria over
81 years ago, 1 merely write this to
give these few facts, as it is strictly a
fight on the color line. and between
an American organization and its
English parent, which has its off
springs in all the colonies, and most
of the foreign countries.
Il. OSGoOD.